The
vast salt marsh has low grass, safer for cranes; they can
see predators. Each crane pair's territory is about
1/2 square mile, or 320 *acres.
What else lives at Aransas besides
whoopers?*(An
acre
is about the size of a football field.)

These
cranes were seen from a tour boat. They are about 50 yards
away! They have gotten used to boat sounds.

.

This
whooper family has one chick (right). The chick will leave its
parents either during the
spring journey north, or after arriving at the summer nesting grounds
in Canada. It will try to squeeze in on the edge of its parents'
territory until it is about 4 years old. Then it will claim its
own territory.